Balancer



Oct. 23, 1934. R, A. NORLING BALANCER Filed March 16, 1931 Patented ct. 23, 1.934

BALANCER Reinhold A. Norling, Aurora, Ill., assignor to Independent Pneumatic Tool Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application March 16, 1931, Serial No. 523,167

6 Claims.

This invention relates to counter-balances, particularly adapted for suspending portable power-driven tools, such as electric drills and the like, from an overhead support, whereby such 1 tools may be maintained in elevated positions above the places of work, yet be drawn down to the work whenever desired.

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 523,-

164 led- March 16, 1931, I have shown andl@ claimed a counter-balance in which a single reel or drum is employed to support the cable from which the tool or load is suspended, together with spring means in the reel for turning the same in a direction to elevate the too-l or load when moved upward from the work.

In accordance with my present invention, I employ two reels in the balancer for the cable, thereby enabling a strong construction to be made with reels of a relatively small diameter, and thus reduce the inertia or dead weight encountered in stopping and starting the reels in the raising and lo-wering of the tool or load suspended from the cable thereon.

A further object of my invention is to provide spring means for turning the reels in a direction to wind the cable thereon, and have such spring means associated with each reel with means for adjusting the tension of the spring means of the respective reels.

A further object of my invention is to taper or incline the cable carrying portions of the respective reels, with respect to the shaft or axis on which the reels are rotatably mounted so as to secure a varying leverage eiect on the reels in the winding and unwinding of the cable on and ofi the reels, and thereby enable the device to support the tool or load suspended on the cable at different distances from the reels.

A further object of my invention is to connect the ends of the cable to the respective reels, and have the loop in the cable exterior of the reels to support the load.

A further object of my invention is to hold the sheave in the loop of the cable against rotation with respect thereto, so that by having the ends of the cable connected to the respective reels, the latter will turn in unison for proper winding and unwinding of the cable on and off the reels in the raising and lowering of the load.

The invention consists lfurther in the matters hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is an end view of a balancer constructed in accordance with my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, 1 indicates the shaft of the balancer, 2, 2 the reels or drums thereon, and 3 the member which serves as a support for the shaft and as a frame or housing for the reels.

The reels are disposed within the frame in end to end relation and are rotatably mounted on the shaft by means of hubs 4, 4 integrally connected with the reels.

Each reel has an annular cable carrying portion 5 extending from end to end of the reel and disposed at a taper or incline to the axis of the reel, thus making each reel larger in diameter at one end than at the other. The reels are mounted on the shaft 1 with their smaller ends opposed, as shown in Fig. 2, so that a single cable 6 may be used with the two reels.

For turning the reels in a direction to wind the cable 6 thereon, I provide each reel with a single at coil spring 7. Each spring is located in its reel, which is made hollow for the purpose. Each spring 7 is preferably arranged at the larger or outer end of its reel so as to be of the largest possible diameter. The outer end of the spring is attached by a pinor rivet 8 to the inner surface of its reel. The spring surrounds a sleeve 9 and is connected thereto at its inner end by a key 10. Each sleeve9 is mounted on the shaft 1 and is rotatably supported at its outer end in a bearing 11 provided therefor in the associated part of the frame 3*.

The tension of the springs may be adjusted by turning the sleeves 9. For this purpose each sleeve, in that portion in the bearing 11, is provided with worm teeth 12 engaged by a worm or screw thread member 13 rotatably mounted in the bearing above the sleeve, as shown. The worm has a tool engaging socket 14 in its outer end whereby the worm may be turned to adjust the tension of the associated spring. This manner of spring adjustment is claimed broadly in my copending application, Serial No. 523,164. The inner end of the worm seats 'against the inner end of the recess in which the worm is mounted so that the worm will not turn accidentally to release the tension ofthe spring.

With two reels, the cable 6 is attached to both reels to provide a loop in the cable outside of and below the reels. A sheave or pulley 15 is located in this loop and is journaled in a suitable block or frame 16 from whichdepends a swiveled hook 17 by means of which a tool or'other load may be suspended from the balancer. The sheave 15 is normally held against rotation by being fixed to its support 16 by a pin 18. This has the eiiect of gearing the reels together and causes them to rotate in unison in the winding of the cable on and off the reels, due to the fact that one reel cannot travel ahead of the other. The ends of the cable are respectively connected to the outer or larger ends of the reels, as at 19, 19, thus causing the cable to travel toward and from the inner or smaller ends of the reels in the winding of the cable off and on the reels. The springs turn the reels in opposite directions to wind the cable on the reels. With two reels, a strong balancer can be obtained with the use of smalldiameter reels. It is a disadvantage to have the reels too large in diameter. The larger the reels the more inertia or dead weight in starting and stopping the reels when the tool or load on the cable is moved up and down.

The frame 3 comprises a main or mid member 20, preferably in the form of a casting shaped to extend about the upper and lower portions of the reels and over the ends of the same, as shown. The bearings 11 are formed in this casting at the ends of the same. Covers or caps 21, 21 are tted to the opposite sides of the member 20 over the upper halves of the reels and are secured to the member 20 by boltsw22, 22, as shown. By vthe arrangementshown, the parts may be readily assembled and removed.

A suspension hook 23 is attached to the upper side of the member 20, preferably midway its end on' an axis pin 24. One or both of the coversr 20 are cut away at 25 to permit assembly of the pin 24.

The ends of the cable 6 are attached to thereels 1 in a manner similar to that shown in my copending application, Serial No. 523,164. Y

The portion of the member 2() beneath the reels is provided with a concave lug 26 forming a stop or abutment for the sheave 15 when raised too far.` 'I he shaft 1 is provided with a lubricant passage or bore 2.7 having ports 28, 2S, one for the bore of each hub 4. The outer end of one sleeve 9 is recessed at 29 Vto accommodate a greasing nippleor fixture 30 connected by a tubularmem-r ber 3l with the adjacent end of the shaft 1. l By this arrangement, grease may be applied to the bores of the reels to lubricate their bearing surf faces on the shaft 1. Y

Shaft 1 at the sleeves 9 is reduced. This provides shoulders32 for rcover plates 33 on the inner sides of the springs '7. The outer end portions of sleeves 9 are enlarged to providevshoulders 34 for the cover plates 35 on the outer sides of the springs. rThese plates in additin to protecting f the springs, prevent sidewise buckling thereof..

The outer margins of the inner plates 3.3 engage shoulders 36 in the reels and by reason of thel shoulders 32 at the inner margins of the plates hold the reels out of contact at theiropposed ends.y

.The balancer shown and described is simple in construction and operation and effective in use. It is particularly adapted for suspending portable tools from an overhead support above the places of work. The tapered reels allow for the holding of the tools at different elevations from the reels, and moreover relieves the operator ofv exerting any. undue effort to raise and lower the tool against the tension of the springs. With the latter, each has an individual tension adjusting n'ieans,` the springs may be adjusted to approximately the same tension so that the spring effort on both reels will be substantially the same. The device is relatively small and compact and provides a` strong balancer with relatively small diameter reels. The details of structure and arrangement of parts shown and described may` be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. v

I claim as my invention:

Vand a sheave in the loop of the cable and held against rotation to connect the reels together for turning in unison.

2. A counter-balance of the character described, comprising two relatively rotatable reels,

a support therefor, said reels each having a cable carrying portion tapered or inclined to the axis of the reels, to make each reel smaller in diameter at one end than at the other, said reels being ararranged with their smaller ends opposed, spring means for turning the reels in opposite directions and arranged at the larger ends of the reels, and means for adjusting the tension of the spring means of the respective reels independently of each other. Y

3. A counter-balancev ofthe character described, comprising a shaft, two relatively rotatable reels mounted thereon, a support for the shaft having a main member extending about the reels in the direction-of the axis thereof and over the ends of the reels, cover members secured to the main member on opposite sides thereof and enclosing portions of the reels beyond the same, spring means for turning thereels, and means for adjust-ing the tension of the spring means.

4. A counter-balance of the character described, comprising a shaft, two relatively rotatable reels mounted thereon, a support for the shaft having a main member extending over the upper and lower portions of the reels in the direction of the axis thereof and across the ends of the reels, side members in the form of covers for portions of the reels outside of the main member, spring means for turning the reels, and an abutment carried by the main member below the reels.

5. Acounterfbalance of the character described, comprising two relatively rotatable reels, a support therefor, said reels each having a cable carrying portionI tapered or inclined to the axis of the reels, lthereby making eachy reel smaller in diameter atene end than at the other, said reels being arranged with their smaller ends opposed,

spring means for each reel for turning the reels in opposite-,directions to winda cable thereon, and meansv for adjusting the tension of the spring means for the respective reels independently of each other, the adjusting means for each reel being carried by the support and disposed opposite the larger ends of the reels for accessibility for adjustment exterior of the support.

6. A counter-balance of the character described, comprising two reels arranged in end to end relation, a shaft on which the reels are mounted, a support for the shaft in the form of a member surrounding'the upper and lower portions of the reels and extending across the ends thereof, said member being provided at the ends of the reels with bearings for the ends of the shaft, spring means for turningthe reels; and cover members 'Y 'REINHOLD A. NORLING. 

